As part of the countdown to the 2012-13 college basketball season, Sporting News takes an analytical look at fifth-ranked Michigan:

REASONS TO BELIEVE

To the point. It’s a lot easier to pursue greatness when you’re led by a great point guard, and the Wolverines have one of the best. Trey Burke demonstrated terrific strength and athleticism as a freshman, and though he’ll miss the toughness of Zack Novak and the playmaking assistance Stu Douglass provided, Burke now will lead a team with more serious offensive weapons. -

Freshman punch. Small forward Glenn Robinson III is an uncommonly powerful wing, which will make him an effective screener in coach John Beilein’s offense. He is also a player who can average double figures as a scorer. The complexities of Beilein’s system might take time for a freshman big man to master, but center Mitch McGary can compensate as he learns by being overwhelmingly physical. With those two in the rotation, UM will be far more talented than a year ago, when the Wolverines managed a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

Bigger bodies. Aside from center Jordan Morgan, last season’s squad gave up size to its opponents in nearly every game, at nearly every position—one reason Michigan was only ninth in the Big Ten in rebounding margin. This group will have terrific size, with two power post players and starting wings taller than 6-5.

REASONS TO WORRY

Tim Hardaway Jr.’s aim. After becoming a nobody-expected-this sensation as a freshman, Hardaway wrestled with his shot as a sophomore. He said it was the result of frustration at not seeing his early shots fall. No matter the reason, Hardaway can’t shoot 28.3 percent on 3-pointers this season and still fire a half-dozen per game. He’ll have to be better or find other ways to score.

Where are the shooters? For a coach who made his reputation creating open shots for elite shooters, Beilein hasn’t attracted many to Ann Arbor. Last year’s squad didn’t have anyone who made 60 3-pointers, and Burke and Hardaway are the only returning players who made more than 20.

So much is new. The Wolverines have a nice trio of experienced players, but most everyone else either hasn’t played a significant role before or hasn’t played at all.

MY VIEW

PG Trey Burke: “The freshmen all definitely impress me, athleticism-wise. They’re eager to learn. They listen. You tell them something, they pick up on things quick. My freshman year, I wasn’t used to any of the calls that coach would call; I didn’t know any of the terms. To see them pick up on them so quick, it shows a lot about their character. Last year, we were more of a 3-point shooting team. A lot of times we settled for jump shots when we could have gotten it to the paint. Now that we have more athleticism, we’re going to be able to get up and down the floor more. When we played against longer teams, quicker teams, we kind of had trouble adjusting. Now, I feel like we’re good enough inside to go inside-out. It’s more of a versatile team.”

THEIR VIEW

An opposing coach’s take: “You’ve got a point guard who had a tremendous freshman year. You’ve got a wing who had a tremendous freshman year and an OK sophomore year. Now, if Trey Burke can have a tremendous sophomore year and you can get (Tim) Hardaway back to shooting it consistently, and you add Glenn Robinson on the wing and Mitch McGary on the inside—they’re as gifted as anybody around. Obviously, (John) Beilein can coach ’em up. They’ve been very successful the last couple years, and they’ve got more talent now. John’s adaptable. He’ll make adjustments, but his style and what he wants done is very good for these guys. I think he’s got more flexibility with these guys, but it’s a freed-up system. He wants you to shoot the ball. There’s obviously structure to it, but I don’t think kids have any issues playing that way. They want to shoot the ball. When you’ve got more talent, you give them more freedom. Beilein will do this.”

IMPACT NEWCOMER

SF Glenn Robinson III, freshman. At the time he committed to Michigan, Robinson had a big name (his dad was Purdue’s legendary Big Dog) but not a huge rep. Then he climbed all the way to No. 11 in the Rivals.com rankings. Robinson looks different than most wing forwards. He looks, frankly, like his father, who played power forward in college but did it while shooting and ballhandling with flair.

FIVE BIGGEST GAMES

Nov. 27 vs. N.C. State. Although it isn’t the one that will draw the most attention, this could be the best game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge Saturday.

Dec. 8 vs. Arkansas. In Fayetteville last season, Michigan fell behind by 20 points in the first half and missed an opportunity to win at the buzzer. This is a chance for revenge.

Feb. 2 at Indiana. A great chance to make a statement against the NCAA championship favorite while playing on national television.

Feb. 12 at Michigan State. It has been a while since the Wolverines entered this matchup with the upper hand.

BOTTOM LINE

This is the most talented team Beilein has coached. He has multiple players with NBA potential, size up front and dynamic wings. He generally has coached teams whose collective execution pushed results beyond what their individual skill level would have dictated. So what happens when he finally is in charge of exceptional talent? Raging success doesn’t automatically follow, but this appears to be a high-character group that will function well together.